Today's resumption of the Dáil after the Easter break is likely to be dominated by rows over the Government’s alleged role in causing the banking crisis.
The Government will move to order the beginning of the substantive second stage debate on the Central Bank Reform Bill 2010 when the Dáil resumes this afternoon. The purpose of the Bill is to give effect to the dissolution of the independent Financial Regulator's office and to merge it into a single fully-integrated Central Bank.
The consumer director functions of the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority will also be transferred to the National Consumer Agency under the new Bill.
Fine Gael and Labour have said they intend to press the Government over its dealings with banks in the run-up to the Government guarantee in September 2008, and its handling of the crisis since then.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny last night accused Fianna Fáil of being complicit in a "culture of cover-up" with Anglo Irish Bank.
Similarly, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said at the weekend that he would continue to question the Taoiseach on the extent of the Government's knowledge of Anglo Irish Bank's affairs in the run-up to the Government guarantee in September 2008.
Government Chief Whip John Curran confirmed yesterday that there would be a smaller number of priority Bills included in the Government's Programme for Legislation which will be published today. He acknowledged yesterday that only seven of 20 promised priority Bills were published in the winter session. He had reviewed 12 pieces of promised legislation that had not been published to assess how many could be feasibly published before July.
"The list will include 15 or 16 Bills. Some of the existing priority Bills will not be included. I would like to see a much higher percentage of Bills being published." He added the new list for the forthcoming session would only include Bills with a realistic prospect of being published.
A Labour spokesman criticised the low number of Bills published between January and Easter, saying it continued a long-standing pattern. He said the Central Bank Bill had been published just before Easter but that the previous Bill had been published as long ago as February 4th.
Among the priority Bills that have not been published are the Environmental (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which imposes waste charges, the Noise Nuisance Bill, the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous) Bill and the Wildlife Amendment Bill, aimed at banning stag hunting by hounds.
A spokesman for the Minister for the Environment said the four Bills being prepared by the department will be published by the end of this session. He added that the legislation paving the way for a Dublin mayoral election would also be published this term. The spokesman said it was still the hope the election would be held this year. The two main Opposition parties said they would continue to press for the writs to be moved for byelections to fill the three vacant Dáil seats in Dublin South, Waterford, and Donegal South West.
However, with its majority having fallen to six, the Government is unlikely to accede to any being held this year.
